Core Team

Keith Fletcher, Chief Marketing Officer

Keith’s background is design, but he believes a great marketer goes beyond the creative brief and draws on overall business acumen. Before FLETCH, as Vice President, Creative Director at MSLGroup, a global public relations firm, Keith worked with some of the world’s best-known brands, including AstraZeneca, AT&T, Best Buy, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, Equifax, Heidelberg, Merial, Philips, Home Depot, The State of Georgia and UPS. They were all great to work with, but Keith says his current clients are his favorites – whether they’re close to home or on the other side of the globe. After work, his wife and three daughters always come first. He relaxes by tinkering and fixing things and has been changing the oil in his car himself since he was 14 years old.

“Marketers are more data-driven now than ever before. But despite technology, it’s paramount that your message is clear and a big idea be the ultimate driver. Facts matter – but don’t think for a minute that emotion doesn’t drive every single business decision that’s made.”

 

Carol Niemi, Content Director

Carol has been a writer since she wrote her first short story at age 8. She holds a PhD in English but doesn’t let it hold her back. Previously, as VP/Creative Director at one of the country’s leading B2B marketing firms, where she lead the creative for well known Fortune 100 and 500 companies and helped quadruple billings in six years, thanks in part to her team’s many creative awards. She values her own EFFIE the most because it rewarded not just creativity but also results. She believes if she doesn’t give you sweaty palms the first time she shows you a concept, she’s not doing her job.

“I love this business, but I love my daughter more and left a high-powered career to raise her. The atmosphere at FLETCH is friendly and apolitical. We all just want our clients to win and agree the key is helping them find and build on a powerful core brand message. History agrees with us. Look at all the people who rose to the top on messages that overcame even big negatives. Marketing without strong messaging is just wallpaper.”

 

Rick Meekins, Operations

Rick served five years in the Army, where he learned the value of discipline, showing up, figuring things out and getting stuff done – traits that prove invaluable in keeping everything on track at FLETCH. He sees the pressure on marketers to perform as more intense than ever – both on the agency side and the corporate side – because though marketing is more analytical, the rules are constantly changing. Rick starts his days early with a session at the gym and takes pride in getting more done before 10 in the morning than most people do in a day.

“Marketers must be willing to continue to learn, test, evaluate, be wrong, tear up their plans and start over. A good marketer can never give up. Clear direction is always desirable, but when you don’t have it, you have to move fairly forward and roughly right.”

 

Kelly DeAses, Account Executive

Having worked on both the agency side and the corporate side, Kelly has experienced our business from the inside out. Maybe that’s why she’s the voice of reason even when others aren’t and is more likely to use research than emotion to prove her point. She sees one unfortunate result of the digital information glut as the trend to see marketing in bits and pieces rather than the entire picture. When not working, Kelly can be found on a bike or at the soccer field or park with her high-energy husband, two children and 10-year-old boxer.

“No idea is a bad idea, but not all ideas are great ideas. That’s why I respect the hands-on interaction between my clients and the FLETCH team as we strategize and brainstorm an idea and then watch it come to fruition. When I hear that our work has propelled a company forward and allowed them to reach their goals, I know I’ve done my job.”